«,«^.  ^    [House  of    KKPRKSKfiTATivKs.] 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  June  7th,    1864.— Ordered 
to  be  printed. 


IIR.    SIMPSON'S    AMENDMENT    TO  IMPRESSMENT    BILL. 


A    B  1 1. 1.. 

To  provide  for  furnishing  domestic  puppliea  to  the  Government. 

f  Skction  1.    The  Congress  of  the    Confejhrate^  States  of  America 

•■%  do  enact,  That  private   property  sh^ll    not    be    impressed  for  the 

5  public  use,  except  as  hereinafter  provided,  and  in  all  other  cases 

4  the  Government  shall  be   furnished  ^vith   ull  necessary  supplies 

5  by  purchase  ;  and  for  this  purpose    there  shall  be  established  in 

6  each  State  a  department  known  as  the  Purchasing  Department, 

7  This  department  in  each  State  shall    consist  of  one  chief  officer. 

8  with  the  pay  and  allowances  of  a  major  of  infantry,  with  as  many 

9  subordinate  officers  as  may  be  necessary,  not,  however,  exceeding 
10  one  for  each  county  or  district,  with  the  pay  and  allowances  of  a 
tl  captain  of  infantry  ;  and  as  many  clerks  and  agents  as  the  neces- 
12  sities  of  the  department  may  fequire,  with  the  pay  and  allow- 
IS  ances  of  privates  of  infantry,  with  commutation  of  quarters. 


1  Sec.  2.  The  officers  in  this   departmeot   shall  be  OTcr  th©  age 

2  of  forty-five   years  ;  shall  be  resident  freeholders  of  the  district 

3  or  county  for  which  the/  may  be   appointed,  with    the  exception 

4  of  the  chief  officer    who  shall   be    a    resident    freeholder  of  th« 
6  State  anil  they  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Secretaiy  of  War.  The 

6  clerks  and  agents  shall  be  appointed   by  the  subordinate  officer*, 

7  with  the  concurrence  of  the  chief  officer  in  each  State,  and  shall 

8  be  appointed  from  those,  who  are   either    over   conscript  age,  or 

9  have  been  dechired  by  a  medical   board  as  unfit  for  field  service. 

1  Sec.  3.  These  departn.ents    shall   be  authorized   and  charged 

2  with  the  duty  of  purchasing  at  the  gold  value  thereof,  from  pro- 

3  ducers,  the  ejitire  surplus,  in  each   State,  of  all  such   articles  as 

4  may  be  needed  by  the  Government — under  instructions  from  th« 

5  Quartermaster  and  Commissary  Generals — to  be  paid  for  in  cer- 
•6  tificates,  which,  upon  their  face  the  Government  shall  promise  to 

7  redeem  in  gold,  six  months  after  the   ratification  of  peace ;  and 

8  which  certificates  shall    be    receivable    in  payment   of  all  public 

9  dues,   at  a  gold  standard,  compared  with   treasury  notes;  and 
11)  these  departments   sbnl)  be   authorized,   under  rules  fo  be  pre- 

11  scribed  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  resell  to  the  families  of  sol- 

12  diers  and  to  all  other  persons  desiring  to  purchase  for  their  own 

13  consumption,  so  much  of  the  produce   purchased  by  them  as  the 

14  Government  may  need  for  itSi^  own  use,  at   original  cost,  with  a 

15  sufficient  per  cent,  added  to   cover  waste — to   be  paid  for  in  the 


16  certificates  aforesaid.^^r  in  tiea»urj  notes,  »t  the  uijirket  value  of 

17  the  property,  therein. 

1  Sf.c  4.   Tliat  each  ofiicer  appointed  under  tliis    act,  e^hall.  be- 

3  fore  entering  upon  hip  dutic8,  give  bond  with  good  and  sufficient 

3  security,  comiitioned   for  tlie  fnithful    performance   of  his  /luty, 

4  and  that  h<-  will  not,  directly  or    indirectly,   be  engaged   in   the 

5  purchase  or  sale,  on    private   account,  either  for  himself  or  any 

6  other  person,  of  any  articles  of  the  character  to  be  purchased  by 

7  him  on  (ToveruincnY  account. 

I  Sec.  6.   That  any  officer  or  agent  connected  ^ith  said  <'.epHrt- 

i  uient  who  shall  be, guilty  of  ^-iolating  the  requiren,euts  8et  forth 

iJ  in  the   previous    section,  ex<'(pt  such    as   may   be    autlftirized  to 

4  purchase    for    their     own    consumption — as    other    ritizens—in 

.5*  addition  to    being    liable  on    iheir  bond    shall,  upon    coiivietion 

G  before  any    eourt  of  the    Confederate   States   having   competent 

7  jurisdiction,  be  lined  by  said  court  in  a  sum  not  exceeding 

8  dollars,  and  be  imprisoned  for  a  term  of  years 

9  not  less  than  years,  nor  more  than  years. 
1  Sec  6.   These  departments  shall   be  authorized   to  impress  all 

»3  supplies  of  food  or  forage,  or  other  products  which  the  Govern- 

3  ment  may  require,  in  the  following  cases,  viz: 

4  First.  In  all  cases  where  such  articles  are  in  second  hands, 
o  and  held  for  resale  and  not  for  consumption.  Second.  In  all  cases 
6  of  surplus  in  the  hands  of  producers,  where  the  bolder  and  the 


4 

7  (jrovernmeut  agent  or  officers  cannot  agree  as  to  the  gold  price — 

8  or  where,  from  any  other   course,  the  holders   refuses  to  sell  to 

9  the  Government — and  in  such  cases  the  question  of  surplus  and 
lii  j<rice,   which   .-hull  be  estimated   :U  rlio    <■"]'!    sr:in'i^i!'1,    ?hull  be 

11  determined   by   throe   disintercsi  icinagc, 

12  to  be  chosen  one  by  the    producer,  one   by    the    ofiioer,    an,d  the 

13  third  by  these  two,  who  shall  act  under   oatji   to  do  jusiice  both 

14  to  the  (Jovt.j'iinieiit  and  to  the  producer;   and  ihir"'  ■     '■  ■  •' 

15  where  the    neet-srities  of  the    army,  or    any    potu;;    ■  .,:  :j 

16  require  u-more  {(rouipt  and  speedy  supjl 

17  by  puroh:ise — v.hich  necessity  sh^ll  be  dcterni;;ieu  hy  ihc  ^^ciu'rui 
1 S  Qomm;indi!i;;r  the  .li^partment — and  wh^  so  required,  under  epocial 
10  onieis  from  the   general  commanding  the   department,   particu- 

20  larlj^  describiti^  wbut  articles  are    urgently  need  ;ier 

21  officer  in  oach  Siute,  either   throu^rh   hinii-cif  or    i>y  .•; 

22  and  diitiict  oiiicfcrs,.may  impress  such   articles   as    may  thus  be 

23  '  required,  but  in  every  such  else  a  sufficient  supply  for  the  sup- 
id  port  of  the  liokler  and  his  family,  and  to  c:vry  on  his  ordinary 
25  avocation,  f-.hail  he  left,  and  the  gold  value  bhnl!  be  paid  in  the 
2()  cortificates  arr-rt.-i^iiil ;  said  price,  and  v/hat  is  sufficient  for  family 

27  support,  to    bo    determined   by  the    appraisers -aforesaid,' as    in 

28  secti,on  aliove. 

1  i^hx.  7.   The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  shall  be  authorized  to 

2  issue  certificates  herein  required  to  be   used  in   the    purcHaae  cQT 

3  property  to  the  amount  of  millions, 

4  ot  such  denominations  and  with  such  authentications  as  may  be 

5  necessary,  and  he  shall  not  be  authorized  to  issue  treasury  notes, 

6  except  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  millions,  tintil  the  meeting 

7  of  the  next  Congress.  ^'('INf'SwiilW^ 


